Health:Further

Vic hosts a solo episode covering volatility in the stock market tied to geopolitical tensions, a detailed breakdown of 2025 inflation data and how price increases vary by consumer category, congressional movement on healthcare funding and PBM reform, proposed multi-year extensions for telehealth and hospital-at-home programs, ARPA-H’s call for AI-driven cardiovascular care solutions, UnitedHealthcare’s plan to rebate ACA profits to members, the New York Stock Exchange’s move toward tokenized 24/7 trading, Amazon’s launch of an AI health assistant for One Medical members, and new survey data revealing a widening gap between how executives and workers experience productivity gains from AI.Links00:58 - Stocks Rally After Trump Announces Framework for Greenland Deal WSJ1:51 - The 2025 Inflation Numbers Are Finally In. Here’s the Good and Bad News. WSJ3:48 - The Trump administration is creating clinical AI agents with a 3-year FDA approval timeline Fierce Healthcare4:40 - Telehealth, hospital-at-home set to receive multiyear extensions in recent funding proposal Feirce Healthcare6:44 - UnitedHealth CEO Hemsley says insurer will rebate ACA profits to consumers Fierce Healthcare8:15 - NYSE to Launch 24/7 Trading Platform for Blockchain-Based Securities WSJ10:11 - Amazon launches health AI chatbot for One Medical members Healthcare Dive11:50 - CEOs Say AI Is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story. WSJ

Vic is joined by guest host Paul Kappelman to break down the latest signals shaping healthcare and the economy, including inflation trends, slowing job growth, housing market movement, healthcare spending exceeding $5 trillion, Medicare Advantage investigations, payer scrutiny, hospital labor strikes, and major pharma M&A. The episode also covers at-home cancer care, digital health’s growing divide, new federal healthcare proposals, shifting nutrition guidelines, flu treatment advances, data interoperability battles, and how AI agents from OpenAI and Anthropic are beginning to reshape clinical workflows, consumer health access, and everyday work.4:12 - Pace of Inflation Held Steady in December; Consumer Prices Up 2.7% on Year WSJ5:19 - America’s Job Market Has Entered the Slow Lane WSJ7:54 - Home Sales in December Jump 5.1%, Biggest Gain in Nearly 2 Years WSJ10:26 - This Startup Wants to Bring Cancer Patients' Care at Home WSJ15:44 - 2025 year-end digital health funding overview: A tale of two markets Rock Health13:51 - US healthcare spending climbed 7.2% in 2024: 8 things to know Beckers17:55 - White House: The Great Healthcare Plan White House website20:58 - RFK Jr.-Backed Dietary Guidelines Say to Avoid Processed Foods, Double Protein WSJ22:19 - UnitedHealth Used Aggressive Tactics to Boost Medicare Payments, Senate Report Finds WSJ23:56 - Kaiser Permanente to pay $556M to settle Medicare Advantage fraud claims Fierce Healthcare25:24 - UnitedHealthcare unveils pilot to accelerate payments to rural hospitals Fierce Healthcare26:15 - Nearly 15,000 Nurses Go on Strike at Major New York City Hospitals NYTN/A - Walmart Launches Digital Healthcare Platform to Cut Prices on Some Health Items WSJ27:48 - Epic sues health information network over alleged medical record misuse Healthcare Dive31:58 - Boston Scientific to snap up thrombectomy specialist Penumbra in deal valued at $14.5B Fierce Healthcare33:09 - The Flu Is Surging. How Antivirals Can Help. WSJ35:22 - Polymarket, Dow Jones Partner to Display Prediction-Markets Data in Dow Jones Content WSJ37:33Advancing Claude in healthcare and the life sciences Anthropic website38:32 - Example Claude for MRI Interpretation X40:10 - OpenAI acquires healthcare startup Torch to build out ChatGPT Health Fierce HealthcareN/A - OpenEvidence makes the case for AI-powered 'medical super-intelligence' Fierce Healthcare42:17 - Google Gemini Partnership With Apple Will Go Beyond Siri Revamp  MacRumors44:00 - Anthropic’s new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code Tech Crunch44:49 - Claude Cowork X

Vic and Marcus open the year by unpacking how shifting political power, market dynamics, and AI acceleration are reshaping healthcare and the broader economy. They discuss Wall Street’s continued dominance, job market signals, venture capital strategies, and how AI is redefining everything from drug discovery to prescription renewals. The episode covers policy changes around vaccines, women’s health screening, federal funding freezes, hospital consolidation, payer pressure on providers, and the growing role of consumer wearables. They also examine OpenAI’s deepening move into healthcare, the risks and limits of clinical AI, Nvidia’s expanding dominance, and what these forces mean for entrepreneurs, healthcare operators, and patients navigating a rapidly fragmenting system.Links6:54 - Dow Extends Rally, Closing Above 49000 for First Time WSJ11:22 - The number of available jobs in the US just hit its lowest level in more than a year CNN16:18 - Venture Firm Antler Made Over 400 Investments Last Year—and Just Reloaded With $160 Million WSJ 20:29 - HRSA endorses at-home screening recommendations for cervical cancer Fierce Healthcare24:15 - CDC Pares List of Recommended Childhood Vaccines WSJDoctronic receives approval to use AI to renew medical prescriptions with no doctor involved. X28:39 - Utah has become the first state to allow AI to renew medical prescriptions with no doctor involved34:09 - (Wrong Link) Health Dept. to Freeze $10 Billion in Funding to 5 Democratic States40:31 - FDA paves way for more consumer wearables, AI-enabled devices to hit the market Fierce Healthcare43:44 - 340B rebate pilot put on hold in temporary win for hospitals Healthcare Dive45:52 - UnitedHealthcare raises bar for doctors to get paid for radiology services Healthcare Dive51:32 - 21,000 New York nurses to launch strike Jan. 12 Fierce Healthcare52:27 -New Jersey healthcare giant poised to acquire another hospital Healthcare Dive53:29 - Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Pill Now Broadly Available Across U.S. WSJ54:21 - AbbVie Near Deal for Revolution Medicines WSJ55:28 - Eli Lilly Nears Deal for Biotech Ventyx WSJ56:19 - Eli Lilly, AI Drug-Discovery Company Nimbus Partner on Oral Obesity Treatment WSJ57:22 - Introducing ChatGPT Health OpenAI59:34 - 40M users turn to ChatGPT daily for health questions: OpenAI Fierce Healthcare1:04:38 - Hospitals Are a Proving Ground for What AI Can Do, and What It Can’t WSJ1:11:06 - Nvidia Unveils Faster AI Chips Sooner Than Expected WSJ1:14:29 - Lego Smart Play hands-on: Using Smart Brick technology to get kids to play together 

Vic and Marcus break down rising unemployment and cooling inflation, debate whether the Fed is behind the curve, and unpack what those signals mean for markets heading into next year. They cover major healthcare funding rounds across pediatrics, cardiology, and AI-enabled front offices, examine payer losses and policy shifts impacting subsidies and gender-affirming care, and analyze FDA clearances pointing to renewed medical innovation. The conversation expands into crypto and AI, including JPMorgan’s tokenized money fund, prediction markets, OpenAI’s government partnerships, and mounting concerns over an AI bubble, enterprise adoption, and the future of energy, jobs, and economic power.Links00:00 - Intro2:04 - U.S. Unemployment Rose in November ​Despite Job Gains WSJ3:44 - Inflation Eased to 2.7% in Report Distorted by Government Shutdown WSJ4:41 - Clarity Pediatrics lands $14.5M to treat childhood obesity Modern Healthcare6:15 - Leona Health: $14 Million Seed Funding Raised And WhatsApp AI Copilot For Doctors Launched Pulse 2.07:46 - Wearlinq secures $14M to scale wireless heart monitor MobiHealth9:52 - Auxira Health Secures $7.8M for Virtual Cardiology Platform MedCity10:41 - Valerie Health Raises $30M Series A to Bring AI Front Office to Independent Provider Groups Fox4011:44 - Wall Street Gets a Taste of Blockbuster Stock-Market Debuts Ahead WSJ13:09 - House passes healthcare affordability bill without subsidy extension Fierce Healthcare14:53 - HHS moves to cut federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors Fierce Healthcare16:43 - FDA clearances: BlueWind Medical, Bendit Technologies Modern Healthcare18:41 - Highmark posts $24.6B in revenue through Q3 as utilization pressures persist Fierce Healthcare19:25 - UnitedHealthcare to hold off on remote patient monitoring policy Modern Healthcare20:13 - Kaiser pulls plans from Georgia insurance exchange Modern Healthcare21:44 - New York doles out $300M to fund health IT, hospital cybersecurity projects Fierce Healthcare23:24 - GSK Gets FDA Approval for New Severe Asthma Drug With a Dosing Advantage MedCity24:00 - Cencora to acquire majority stake in OneOncology for $5B Fierce Healthcare25:35 - JPMorgan Steps Further Into Crypto With Tokenized Money Fund WSJ26:43  - Coinbase Joins With Kalshi to Enter the Surging Prediction-Markets Business WSJ31:37 - The Political Skirmish Over Trump’s AI Order Is Just the Beginning WSJ34:06AI-Themed Stocks Take More Hits, Sending Nasdaq Lower WSJ45:49 - CoreWeave’s Staggering Fall From Market Grace Highlights AI Bubble Fears WSJ48:09 - OpenAI in Talks to Raise $10 Billion From Amazon, Use Its Chips Bloomberg50:02 - Google Says Its New Gemini 3 Flash AI Model Is Better and Faster Than 2.5 Pro CNET51:30 - Deepening our collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy OpenAI

Vic and Marcus cover the Fed’s 25 bps rate cut, dissenting votes, questions around jobs data, and renewed balance-sheet expansion tied to repo stress. They break down key healthcare and VC moves including AI-driven patient communications, mental health platform expansion, pediatric and NICU innovation, obesity-drug updates, and major payer and policy developments, plus notable market shifts spanning CVS, CMS, FDA actions, and accelerating AI adoption across healthcare and finance.Links00:42 - Fed Cuts Rates Again, Signals It May Be Done for Now WSJ1:47 - Fed Chair Jerome Powell Says U.S. May Be Drastically Overstating Jobs Numbers WSJ3:42 - Fed to Resume Net Asset Purchases With $40 Billion in Securities This Month WSJ8:58 - Aradigm launches out of stealth with platform for cell, gene therapy benefits  Fierce Healthcare9:26 - General Catalyst Leads $50M Round to Expand Radial’s Interventional Psychiatry Network BH BusinessN/A - Subsense raises $10M for neurotech Axios10:09 - AngelEye Health Raises $9M Series C to Bring AI-Driven Insights to the NICU HIT11:47 - Origin Therapy, a Fairfax, Va.-based enabler of private practice pediatric speech LinkedIn12:46 - Parallel: $20 Million Series B Raised After Students Achieve 98% IEP Goal Success Pulse 2.014:01 - Artera clinches $65M in funding to build out AI agents for patient communication  Fierce Healthcare18:43 - Senate health bills fail as exchange subsidy expiration nears Modern Healthcare19:32 - HCA, Tenet, UHS receive FTC letter over noncompete agreements Modern Healthcare20:53 - Texas files antitrust suit against Epic over health data Modern Healthcare21:42 - What medtech firms can learn from Whoop’s warning letter Healthcare Dive24:41 - CMS targets chronic care, nutrition in ‘MAHA’ Medicare payment model Modern Healthcare26:10 - CVS Health Boosts Guidance, Expects Momentum to Continue WSJN/A - CVS to launch ‘engagement’ platform in gamble on consumer, industry interest Healthcare Dive26:55 - Minnesota petitions to seize control of troubled UCare Modern Healthcare 28:11 - Major Weight Loss and Knee-Pain Relief Seen With New Eli Lilly Drug NYT28:59 - Pfizer’s Appetite for More Obesity Meds Leads to $150M Deal for Oral GLP-1 Drug From China MedCity29:18 - J.P. Morgan taps Solana for Galaxy’s tokenized corporate bond issuance Cointelegraph31:27 - Coinbase Expands Reach of Stablecoin-Based AI Agent Payments Tool Coindesk32:17 - Gemini wins CFTC approval for prediction market, may expand into crypto futures, options and perps The Block33:57 - Athenahealth integrates Dragon Copilot AI assistant as Microsoft moves deeper into ambulatory care Fierce Healthcare34:40 - Healthcare in the biggest AI vertical mkt today by a lot X36:10 - OpenAI updates ChatGPT after "Code Red" scramble Axios40:05 - Anthropic and Accenture Strike AI Deal Targeting Business Clients WSJ42:24 - Disney Agrees to Bring Its Characters to OpenAI’s Sora Videos NYT

Vic and Marcus cover Marcus’s recent keynote to community health centers, the industry’s struggle to break out of legacy regulatory thinking, and why AI is becoming essential as labor and funding decline. They analyze unreliable jobless-claim data, Powell’s rate-cut outlook, and how AI is reshaping the relationship between labor, productivity, and corporate earnings. They discuss CMS rolling back staffing mandates, vaccine-policy debates, the extension of hospital-at-home, and Humana’s move into employer drug-cost management. The episode highlights HIMSS & Hers expanding into diagnostics, the rising burden of caring for aging parents, Texas buying Bitcoin, Google challenging OpenAI, Anthropic’s Opus 4.5, and character.ai restricting teen companion bots.Links7:20 - Jobless Claims Fell to New Recent Low Per Labor Department WSJ11:31 - Fed Chair Powell’s Allies Provide Opening for December Rate Cut WSJ26:13 - HHS repeals staffing mandate for long-term care Healthcare Finance31:18 - FDA adopts agentic artificial intelligence in latest push to infuse AI into agency Fierce HealthcareARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) STRATEGY HHS FDA Official Pledges New Vaccine Standards WSJ33:05 - House votes to extend acute hospital care at home Healthcare Finance35:39 - Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs, Humana exploring partnership to tackle employer drug costs Fierce Healthcare38:38 - Hims & Hers expands into diagnostics, moves into Canada as it evolves DTC telehealth platform Fierce Healthcare39:48 - ‘We Had No Idea What Was Coming’: Caring for My Aging Father NYT-op46:19 - Texas Puts $10M Into Bitcoin as BTC Fights to Hold $78K Support Coin Paper47:19 - OpenAI Declares ‘Code Red’ as Google Threatens AI Lead WSJ50:35 - Anthropic introduces cheaper, more powerful, more efficient Opus 4.5 model ArsTechnica53:35 - Teens Are Saying Tearful Goodbyes to Their AI Companions WSJ

Vic and guest host Dr. Kam Matthews cover the week’s major healthcare, policy, and AI stories, including Medicaid funding threats, provider-network gaps, economic updates, new VC raises, and major clinical and pharma developments. They discuss wealth-tax proposals, insurer policy changes, hospital system financials, new maternal and SDOH AI tools, obesity-drug price cuts, and breakthroughs in cancer and antiviral treatments, closing with updates on AI market shifts, Nvidia’s earnings, and Google’s Gemini release.Links4:25 - Hiring Defied Expectations in September, With 119,000 New Jobs WSJ6:51 - WellBeam closes $10 Million Series A to Transform Clinical Interoperability and Care Coordination between Acute and Post-Acute Providers GlobeNewswire9:01 -FamilyWell Health Secures $8 M Series A Led by Maryland’s New Markets Venture Partners Amid National Expansion CityBiz10:22 - Thrivory Raises $3.5M in Equity Funding; Up To $25M in Credit Funding FinSMES11:36 - Function Health Hits $2.5B Valuation With $298M Series B MedCity14:40 - The California Campaign to Introduce a First-of-Its-Kind Billionaire’s Tax WSJ21:25 - When the G.O.P. Medicaid Cuts Arrive, These Hospitals Will Be Hit Hardest NYT23:38 - Jury orders Apple to pay Masimo $634M in patent fight Healthcare Dive25:31 - Humana, Epic collaborate to automate insurance verification, patient check-in Fierce Healthcare27:22 - Medical orgs press Anthem to pull back out-of-network care policy Fierce Healthcare29:41 - Aetna unveils new conversational AI navigation tool for members Fierce Healthcare31:48 - Medicaid Insurers Promise Lots of Doctors. Good Luck Seeing One. WSJ36:30 -Cigna to launch new transparent health plan called Clearity Fierce HealthHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

In this episode, Vic and Marcus break down the government’s temporary reopening, SNAP funding, and upcoming appropriations battles, then cover Fed uncertainty around rate cuts and a market selloff driven by shifting AI sentiment. They discuss massive layoffs at Verizon, medical-AI funding rounds, mental-health care innovation, and specialty-pharmacy expansion. The hosts analyze the FDA’s rollback of HRT warnings, UnitedHealth’s decision to stop covering most remote patient monitoring, and Cigna’s mental-health initiatives. They review provider and pharma earnings, including Pfizer’s acquisition of Metsera, AstraZeneca’s oncology growth, Moderna’s losses, and emerging cholesterol-lowering drugs. They dive deep into Lily’s evolving identity as a tech-driven pharma leader, advances in lab-grown organs, major crypto and stablecoin developments, China’s acceleration in robotics and AI despite chip restrictions, and the growing divide between AI power users and the rest of the workforce.Links2:28 - Government Reopens as Trump Signs Bill to End Nation’s Longest Shutdown NYT7:40 - The Fed Is Increasingly Torn Over a December Rate Cut WSJ8:33 - Stock Market Today: Nasdaq, Tech Shares Lead Broad Losses WSJ14:55 - Verizon to Cut About 15,000 Jobs WSJ16:13 - Evidium: $22 Million Series A Raised To Scale Computational Medical Knowledge Pulse 2.017:21 - Amae Health Raises $25M to Improve Care for Severe Mental Illness MedCity18:24 - House Rx Raises $55M to Scale In-Clinic Specialty Pharmacy Model HIT19:15 - FDA rolls back warning labels on HRT products for menopause, citing misinformation Fierce Healthcare21:11 - UnitedHealth to stop covering most remote patient monitoring Modern Healthcare27:50 -Cigna Launches Mental Health Collaboration with Headspace MedCity28:18 - Cigna teaming with Magic Johnson on music initiative Healthcare Finanice29:30 - Kaiser Permanente notches 0.7% operating margin, $2.6B net income in Q3 2025 Fierce Healthcare29:47 -HF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

In this episode, hosts Marcus and Vic break down a packed week of headlines, starting with political shifts following recent elections and how emerging Democratic leaders could reshape the party. They discuss the economy’s resilience despite tariffs, inflated stock valuations, and rising layoffs attributed to AI. The conversation covers major venture capital moves in health tech, policy updates from Trump’s negotiations on weight-loss drugs to FDA scandals, and the ongoing battle between payers and providers in healthcare. They also unpack the surging GLP-1 drug market, Pfizer’s decline, the rise of AI in finance and crypto, OpenAI’s latest controversies, and the ethical dilemmas of voice cloning and AI-generated content. The episode closes on the dangers of deepfakes and why every family needs a code word for protection.Links3:09 - How the U.S. Economy Has Defied Doomsday Predictions on Tariffs WSJ4:08 - This Famous Method of Valuing Stocks Is Pointing Toward Some Rough Years Ahead WSJ6:15 - Challenger Report: 153,074 Job Cuts on Cost-Cutting & AI Challenger website8:11 - Tala Health Secures $100M to Scale AI-Native Healthcare Platform HIT9:30 - Redesign, Mayo Clinic back surgical triage startup Corvus Fierce Healthcare9:58 - Hippocratic AI lands $126M series C to expand patient-facing AI agents, fuel acquisition deals  Fierce Healthcare11:05 - SteelSky Ventures Leads Investment in myLaurel to Redefine Acute and Transitional Care at Home WV News12:00 - Boomerang Ventures Leads Oversubscribed $2M Seed Round Investment in SiteLabs to Transform Independent Pharmacies into Frontline Hubs for Preventive Care and Research WRAL13:13 - CoMind raises $60 million in Series A funding Healthcare Today13:59 - Sequoia Capital Leader Exits in VC Shake-Up WSJ14:58 -HF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Hosts Vic and Marcus unpack the looming SNAP cuts, the Fed’s rate drop and end of QT, rising AI-driven layoffs, and inflation’s ongoing hit to households. They contrast Wall Street highs with real-world strain, cover major moves in health tech, VC, and pharma, and analyze payer and provider earnings from CVS, Cigna, Centene, HCA, and others. The episode also hits policy shifts, U.S.–China relations, new biosimilar rules, and crypto’s mainstream rise through JPMorgan, Western Union, and Mastercard. They close with the AI infrastructure boom—OpenAI’s changes, Anthropic’s enterprise play, NVIDIA’s surge—and what kinds of healthcare work may actually endure.LinksLinks4:20 - Future Fed Rate Cuts ‘Far’ From Certain After Divided Meeting WSJ7:13 - Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing as AI Starts to Bite WSJ13:14 - Inflation Isn’t as Bad as Economists Thought, but Americans Still Hate It WSJ18:19 - The Good Vibes Are Back on Wall Street WSJ19:23 - OpenEvidence, the ChatGPT for doctors, raises $200M at $6B valuation  TechCrunch20:40 - Human Health Raises $8.5M to Expand Precision Health Platform with Plans to Deepen Women’s Health Focus FemTech21:26 - Curve Biosciences: $40 Million Raised To Advance Whole-Body Intelligence Platform for Chronic Disease Monitoring Pulse 2.023:15 - Cylerity increases credit line to $24M for health care finance FinTech24:42 - Honey Health CEO discusses the company's $7.8M funding round Mobi Health27:48 - Hyro raises $45M growth round to expand AI agents Fierce Healthcare28:41 - Arya Health lands $18.2M to expand post-acute platform Mobi Health30:08 - Trump Considers Fed Chair Selection by Year-End From Slate of Five Finalists WSJ31:49 - Trump and Xi Ease Off the Trade War, but New Nuclear Threat Brings a Chill NYT36:13 - Trump Hopes To Bully SCOTUS Into Upholding His Tariffs Reason38:43 - FDA, aiming to lower drug costs, moves to speed approval of biosimilars Healthcare Dive40:50 - UnitedHealth Revenue Rises as Turnaround Efforts Continue WSJ41:16 - CVS Posts Loss on Write-Down, Boosts Guidance WSJ41:40 - bCigna’s 2026 pharmacy profits could be dampened by transition to rebate-free model Healthcare Dive43:19 - Centene posts $6.6B loss on massive value writedown Healthcare Dive43:52 - HCA raises 2025 guidance, but eyes looming headwinds Healthcare Dive44:40 - Tenet pledges more money for high-acuity growth in 2025 Healthcare Dive45:13 - UHS raises revenue guidance for 2025 Healthcare Dive45:39 - CHS promises more hospital divestitures during Q3 earnings call Heathcare DiveHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

In this episode, Marcus and Vic discuss the nationwide Amazon cloud outage and its impact on tech infrastructure, the Trump administration’s decision to release aid to struggling U.S. farmers, and the latest U.S.–China trade tensions. They cover new sanctions on Russia, global energy shifts, and rising healthcare costs for employers. The hosts also break down major healthcare investments and acquisitions, including AI startups, GLP-1 innovations, and hospital mergers. They explore Mark Cuban’s partnership with Trump Rx, new developments in cancer detection and retinal implants, policy battles over non-competes, the rise of autonomous vehicles and flying cars, and breakthroughs in biotech and AI-powered medicine.Links00:42: - The Day Amazon Broke the Internet for Millions of Americans WSJ4:13 - Trump Administration to Release Farm Aid Frozen by Shutdown WSJ4:56 - Stocks Retreat as Trade Fears Resurface WSJ5:45 - U.S. Imposes Substantial New Sanctions on Russian Oil Giants WSJ8:48 - Ampa raises $8.5m to begin US neuromodulation system launch Medical Device Network10:04 - Hyro Snags $45M for Its Conversational AI Agents MedCity10:53 - Andel grabs $4.5M to help employers close the GLP‑1 coverage gap Tech Funding News11:39 - Knownwell Secures $25M to Expand Obesity Medicine MedCity12:17 - R1 acquires Phare Health, boosting AI abilities Modern Healthcare13:20 - Cigna, CVS join TrumpRx in offering discounted infertility medications Healthcare Finance13:58 - Mark Cuban says Cost Plus Drugs will partner with TrumpRx Healthcare Dive17:31 - The Average Cost of a Family Health Insurance Plan Is Now $27,000 WSJ20:06 - Hospital lobby again petitions FTC to exclude doctors, hospital execs from noncompete enforcement Fierce Healthcare22:09 - Minnesota attorney general investigating Aspirus Health over claims of unlawful noncompetes Fierce Healthcare25:58 - Optum unveils new AI-powered claims processing platform Fierce Healthcare29:23 - Molina slashes 2025 profit guidance again on ACA woes Healthcare Dive30:08 - Elevance outperforms in third quarter but warns of Medicaid challenges Healthcare Dive31:36 - Samaritan Health Services to join MultiCare Health System Fierce Healthcare32:25 - Novo Nordisk to Shake Up Board After Obesity-Market Challenges WSJ33:44 - Grail says new data on multi-cancer screening test show improved performance Stat36:08 - Vision Restored Using Prosthetic Retinal Implant NYT37:56 - A Mother and Son Share an Autism Diagnosis. Their Worlds Couldn’t Be More Different. WSJ41:02 - Coinbase Strikes Deal for Crypto-Investing PlatfoHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Marcus and Vic unpack a turbulent week of global and economic shifts — from the Israel-Palestine ceasefire and U.S. government shutdown to rising layoffs, job stagnation, and Wall Street’s growing fixation on AI. They dive into China’s rare earth dominance, Trump’s trade maneuvers, and the growing tension between free markets and government control. In healthcare, they cover California’s crackdown on PBMs and private equity, telehealth funding freezes, labor strikes, and AI-driven innovations from Google and Microsoft. The hosts close with major biotech deals, the crypto market’s resilience, and an existential look at AI’s power, risk, and global race for dominance.Links2:25 - The Unofficial Jobs Numbers Are In and It’s Rough Out There WSJ5:08 - Strong Bank Earnings Push S&P 500 Higher WSJ6:42 - China, Betting It Can Win a Trade War, Is Playing Hardball With Trump WSJ10:46 - China’s Rare Earth Restrictions Aim to Beat U.S. at Its Own Game NYT12:11 - The Small Company in Europe Caught in the Big Trade War Between the U.S. and China NYT19:15 - Powell Keeps Fed on Track to Lower Rates Again WSJ23:24 - Seattle startup Brook.ai raises $28M to expand remote care platform GeekWire25:45 - OutcomesAI raises $10m seed funding for AI nursing model Hospital Mgmt28:34 - WellTheory Raises $14M to Expand Autoimmune Care Platform MedCity29:29 - Vega Health launches out of stealth to help health systems purchase, monitor AI Fierce Healthcare30:17 - ŌURA Snags $900M to Expand Smart Ring Globally MedCity31:42 - California passes laws targeting PBMs, private equity Healthcare Dive33:52 - AstraZeneca Strikes Drug-Pricing Deal With Trump Administration WSJ35:32 - Medicare telehealth, hospital-at-home payments on hold Modern Healthcare39:05 - Big Changes Are Coming for 2026 Medicare Plans. What You Need to Know. WSJ40:57 - 31,000 Kaiser Permanente workers begin strike in Northern California, Hawaii Healthcare Dive42:55 - To Find Workers, Hospitals Are Training Teenagers WSJ45:07 - Hims & Hers to Offer Treatments for Menopause, Perimenopause WSJ45:31 - Jefferson Health laying off roughly 650 employees amid 'significant financial headwinds' Fierce Healthcare47:18 - Novo Nordisk to Acquire Akero Therapeutics for Up to $5.2 Billion WSJ48:06 - Johnson & Johnson to Split Off Orthopedics Business WSJ49:55 -HF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Vic and Marcus break down the latest in AI and markets—from agentic tools reshaping work and Nvidia’s data-center dominance to the real threat of job loss across creative industries. They hit gold’s surge past $4,000, global market shifts, and China’s trade pivots, then move into healthcare: UnitedHealthcare vs. Johns Hopkins, new startup funding, Trump-era policy moves, and the rising wave of home diagnostics. The episode closes with the AI arms race, Microsoft, OpenAI, AMD, and Elon’s data-center push, asking if compute is the new oil.Links14:30 - Gold Prices Top $4,000 for First Time WSJ22:07 - America’s Soybean Farmers Are Panicking Over the Loss of Chinese Buyers WSJ25:13 - A Tech Rebound Lifts U.S. Stocks, and the March to Record Highs Resumes WSJ27:12 - DUOS snags $130M equity investment to scale AI benefits platform for seniors Fierce Healthcare28:02 - Truepill co-founder's latest startup, Foundation Health, banks $20M to bring AI to pharmacy operations Fierce Healthcare30:13 - Oath Surgical raises $24m to advance outpatient surgical care network Medical Device Network31:09 - Attuned Intelligence Emerges from Stealth with $13M to Automate Hospital Call Centers with Supervised AI HIT31:37 - Heidi Health raises $65M to expand global reach of its AI medical scribe platform Mobi health32:44 - Remedy Robotics Debuts Pioneering Endovascular Surgical Robotic System and Completes World's First Fully Remote Neurointerventional Procedures Newswire33:56 - Q3 2025 market overview: Signals out of sync Rock Health38:17 - Qualtrics to buy Press Ganey Forsta for $6.75B to expand its reach in healthcare Fierce Healthcare41:44 - Trump Wants to Overhaul Drug Sales. A Company Tied to His Son Stands to Benefit. WSJ44:35 - HF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Marcus and Vic break down the U.S. government shutdown, its political fallout, and how shifting power in Washington could reshape healthcare and the economy. They celebrate Nashville SC’s first major championship, examine the credit market’s warning signs, and analyze the growing divide between workforce readiness and AI acceleration. The hosts also discuss major healthcare investments, policy moves like “Trump RX,” and the record-breaking valuation of OpenAI amid rising ethical concerns about AI-generated content.Links8:45 - Government Shutdown Begins as Funding Lapses WSJ12:06 -These 6 Charts Explain Why Democrats Shut Down the Government NYT-Op16:40 - The Credit Market Is Humming—and That Has Wall Street On Edge WSJ19:01 - In a Sea of Tech Talent, Companies Can’t Find the Workers They Want WSJ21:19 - The Jobs Report That Wasn’t Leaves Economists Guessing NYT24:27 - Folia Health Secures $10.5M Series A to Scale Patient-Driven RWE Platform HIT25:15 - Visana Health Secures $24M for Women’s Health Clinic MedCity25:51 -  Midi Health Raises $50M Series C for Menopause Care Platform FemTech28:29 - BeSound Raises $6.8M to Expand Breast Cancer Screening for Dense Tissue FemTech28;59 - ICHRA Administrator SureCo Secures $23 Million in Funding Healthcare Innovation30:05 - Assort Health brings in $102M in 4 months to build out voice AI platform Fierce Healthcare31:05 - White House Unveils ‘TrumpRx’ Drug-Buying Site and a Pfizer Pricing Deal WSJ32:51 - Texas Stock Exchange Could Start Listing Shares Next Year WSJ35:32 - U.S. to Take Equity Stake in Lithium Americas and Its Nevada Mining Project WSJ38:50 - FDA Approves New Generic Version of the Abortion Pill Mifepristone WSJ40:57 -  Inside Nashville Healthcare Sessions 2025: Strategies shaping the future Modern Healthcare45:53 - CommonSpirit announces initiative to address mounting headwinds, lagging finances Healthcare Dive48:02 - Hospitals' administrative burden under 340B pilot far outstrips government's estimates, AHA says Fierce Healthcare49:38 - General Catalyst’s HATCo finalizes Summa Health acquisition Healthcare Dive52:33 - GoodRx stock climbs on potential TrumpRx partnership, expanded Kroger tie-up Fierce Healthcare55:34 - Cardinal Health to Build Indianapolis Pharma Plant to Supply Growing Distribution WSJ56:38 - Genmab to Buy Cancer-Treatment Developer Merus For $8 Billion in Cash WSJ57:39 - GSK CEO Emma Walmsley to Step Down WSJ58:26 - Recovery Is a Journey. Readers Share Their Advice After Blood Clots. WSJ59:51 -HF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

In this episode, Marcus and Vic discuss Trump’s rejection of a meeting with Democrats as a government shutdown looms, small business optimism data, Fed comments on rates, a series of major venture capital deals in virtual care, neurology, oncology, PBMs, maternal health, and organ preservation, policy shifts around Tylenol and autism claims, the $100,000 H1B visa fee, the creation of an independent vaccine advisory agency, challenges for regional nonprofit insurers, Humana’s Medicare Advantage commission changes, Ascension’s return to profitability, Privia’s acquisition of Evolent’s primary care unit, Kaiser strike threats, new interoperability moves from Epic, big pharma acquisitions in obesity and liver treatments, Eli Lilly’s Texas expansion, Bitcoin treasury consolidation, the VA adopting AI note-taking tech, Unity AI’s scheduling agents, Nvidia’s $100B OpenAI investment, Citi’s AI agent pilot, a controversial social app selling voice data to AI firms, and PwC’s trillion-dollar healthcare report that highlights the innovation divideLinks2:08 - Trump Rejects Meeting With Democrats as Shutdown Approaches WSJ5:45 - Small Business Index -Hits All Time High US Chamber9:36 - Powell Describes Rates as ‘Modestly Restrictive,’ Keeping Door Open to Cuts WSJ10:22 - Sevaro Health Secures $39M for AI Powered Virtual Neurology & Workflow Augmentation HIT11:30 - Caregility Raises $25M in Funding FinSMES11:51 - Thyme Care lands $97M series D backed by CVS Health, Humana, Morgan Health and Memorial Hermann Fierce Healthcare14:00 - PBM Capital Rx rebrands as Judi Health, banks $400M funding round Modern Healthcare15:17 - Seven Starling Raises $8M to Expand Access to Maternal Mental Health Support MedCity16:46 - Until Labs Raises $58M to Pioneer Organ Cryopreservation and Medical Hibernation HIT18:50 - AmplifyMD Snags $20M to Help Hospitals Scale Virtual Specialty Care MedCity21:05 - Trump Issues Warning Based on Unproven Link Between Tylenol and Autism NYT24:29 - Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee Sets Off Scramble Across Corporate America WSJ27:25 - The Doctors Building a Public-Health Universe Outside the Government WSJ31:50 - Regional nonprofit health insurers falling behind competitors Modern Healthcare32:44 - UnitedHealthcare unveils direct-to-consumer tool to shop for health and wellness programs Fierce Healthcare33:42 - Humana ending commissions for some Medicare Advantage plans Modern Healthcare36:10 - Ascension returned to profitability in 2025 Healthcare Dive37:33 - Privia acquires Evolent’s value-based primary care unit for $100M Healthcare Dive38:42 - More than 46,000 Kaiser Permanente workers have authorized strikes as contract expirations loom Fierce Healthcare40:12 - EpicHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Vic and Marcus cover the Fed’s first rate cut, stagflation risks, and fiscal dominance; Oracle’s surprise wins with TikTok, Paramount, and OpenAI; robo-taxis arriving in Nashville; venture deals in pediatrics, maternal health, AI doctors, and genomics; policy turmoil at the CDC, telehealth’s temporary extensions, and a $50B rural health fund; scrutiny of nonprofit hospitals; Apple Watch’s hypertension approval; Amazon boosting worker benefits; Hopkins vs UnitedHealthcare; Lilly’s GLP-1 lead and pharma’s $350B U.S. expansion; plus crypto ETFs, tokenization, Gemini’s IPO, and hospital AI rollouts at SutterLinks3:07 Fed Lowers Rates by Quarter-Point, Signals More Cuts Are Likely WSJ9:08 U.S. Investors, Trump Close In on TikTok Deal With China WSJ15:50 Lyft, Waymo Partner to Launch Robotaxi Service in Nashville WSJ17:49 Imagine Pediatrics lands $67M to expand hybrid care for kids with special needs Mobi Health19:15 Dualitas Therapeutics launches with a focus on bispecific antibodies C&EN19:43 Synthesize Bio Launches with $10M Seed Round to Accelerate Generative Genomics BioSpace20:56 Startup Assured picks up $6M to slash the time it takes to credential providers Fierce Healthcare22:34 Inbox Health secures $20M, bringing total raise to $55M Mobi Health23:07Lōvu Health Rakes In $8M for Maternal Health Platform MedCity24:20 Doctronic secures $20M to scale AI doctor platform Mobi Health25:38 Former CDC Director Details Her Firing in Senate Hearing: Key Takeaways WSJ33:45 I Run the F.D.A. Pharma Ads Are Hurting Americans. NYT-Op34:13 CMS opens state applications for $50B Rural Health Transformation Program Fierce Healthcare36:33 Western States Issue Their Own Vaccine Recommendations to Counter Kennedy NYT37:51 New York and Other States Form Health Bloc as Answer to Trump’s Policies NTY39.28 GOP bill extends telehealth flexibilities, sidesteps ACA subsidies Healthcare Dive43:10 America First Global Health Strategy US State Dept46:59 Nonprofit hospitals' community benefit spending faces lawmaker scrutiny Fierce Healthcare50:21 Apple receives FDA nod for hypertension notification feature Mobi Health51:50 Amazon bumps pay, lowers health insurance costs for warehouse workers Spokesman Review53:06 Johns Hopkins, UnitedHealthcare officially end talks after failing to come to terms on new contract Fierce Healthcare54:51 Eli Lilly’s Diabetes Drug Tops Novo Nordisk’s Oral Pill in Trial WSJ55:18 Drugmakers Have Pledged to Invest $350 Billion in U.S. After Tariff Threat WSJ56:42 SEC paves way for crypto spot ETFs withHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Vic and Marcus mark 9/11, condemn political violence after the Charlie Kirk assassination, and review economic shifts including inflation at 2.9%, job revisions, rising unemployment, record markets, and healthcare’s outsized role in job growth. They cover major healthcare and policy moves (Strive’s $550M raise, AI voice agents, Epic antitrust case, drug ad limits, California PE scrutiny, CMS pressure on Medicaid payments), rising employer costs and PBM battles, payvider and consumer health updates (Kaiser in Nevada, Hims & Hers testosterone, Instacart tackling food insecurity), pharma news (Novo layoffs, Novartis acquisition, J&J bladder-cancer treatment, GLP-1 weight-loss challenges), and tech/AI shifts from billionaire longevity pushes to tokenized securities, Robinhood’s social trading, Oracle’s AI-first EHR and $300B OpenAI deal, and the first AI-made feature filmLinks4:52 - Charlie Kirk Assassination Raises Fear of Surging Political Violence NYT6:31 - In Public and in Private, New York Prepares to Mark 9/11 Anniversary NYT6:36 - Inflation Rose to 2.9% in August WSJ10:42 -  U.S. Added 911,000 Fewer Jobs in the Year Ended in March WSJ11:03 -  US Initial Jobless Claims Jump to Highest in Almost Four Years Bloomberg12:12 - Hiring Stalled in August, With 22,000 New Jobs WSJ12:32 - Healthcare Jobs Are a Rare Bright Spot in the Stalling Labor Market WSJ14:30 - All Three Major Stock-Market Indexes Close at Records on Hopes for Deeper Rate Cuts WSJ15:57 - Inflation Erased U.S. Income Gains Last Year WSJ20:09 - Strive Health Secures $550M to Advance Value-Based Kidney Care Model MedCity21:42 - Hello Patient secures $22.5M as investors bet on AI voice agent growth Fierce Healthcare22:16 - MAHA Commission's 128 recommendations on kids' health include more research on vaccines, antidepressants Fierce Healthcare24: 54 - Healthcare software giant Epic must face rival’s antitrust lawsuit, US judge rules Reuters26:49 - Trump Moves to Crack Down on Drug Advertising NYT28:52 - California Bill Would Put Private-Equity Healthcare Deals Under Scrutiny WSJ30:11 - CMS issues guidance on limits for state-directed payments in Medicaid Fierce Healthcare30:45 - Supreme Court Agrees to Fast-Track Trump’s Tariff Appeal WSJ33:33 - Health Insurance Costs for Businesses to Rise by Most in 15 Years WSJ35:34 - New survey finds more employers are weighing the switch to a transparent PBM Fierce Healthcare36:23 -  CVS Caremark hit with class-action lawsuit over decision to drop Zepbound from formulary Fierce Healthcare39:02 - Kaiser Permanente, Renown Health unveil insurance, outpatient joint venture Fierce Healthcare39:36 - HF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Marcus and Vic welcome Kevin Holloran, Senior Director and head of the US Public Finance Healthcare Team at Fitch Ratings, to break down how credit ratings work in healthcare, why balance sheet strength outweighs short-term operating swings, and how margins shifted from steady pre-COVID levels through pandemic collapse, the 2021 rebound, and the post-2022 labor and inflation crunch. They cover Fitch’s focus on hospitals and life plan communities, the sector’s “trifurcation” between winners, rural strugglers, and those stuck in the middle, and the impact of July’s policy shifts—including Medicaid pressures, site-neutral payments, supplemental payment changes, tariffs, and 340B tensions. Kevin also outlines system strategy around scale and outpatient migration, risks for life plan residents, and why the sector’s near-term stability masks growing uncertainty for 2025–26.Kevin Holloran LinkedInHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

In this weekly rollup, Vic welcomes guest host Jinesh Patel, CEO of Uptime Health, to unpack a packed week across the health and tech economy: a stronger Q2 GDP print alongside rising jobless claims and pricier equities, the AI-driven efficiency wave and large-company layoffs, venture updates from workflow and dementia-care AI to immigrant-care platforms, policy turmoil around the CDC and HHS budgets, a Google antitrust outcome that stops short of a Chrome spinoff, payer and provider shifts (Cigna’s specialty-pharmacy bet, SCAN’s MA expansion, UPMC’s rebound, HonorHealth’s clinic pickup), the aging-alone crisis and home-care labor headwinds, the Web3 through-line from a high-profile Bitcoin listing to Polymarket’s U.S. push, and new AI moves like Epic’s model trained on massive EHR data and OpenAI’s product-testing acquisition—plus how all of it hits frontline operations and revenue in care settings. Links14:29 U.S. Economy Grew Faster in Second Quarter, New Estimate Shows WSJ17:25 US Initial Jobless Claims Rise to Highest Level Since June Bloomberg20:50 U.S. Stocks Are Now Pricier Than They Were in the Dot-Com Era WSJ23:31There's new evidence the job market is softening Axios25:27 Oracle lays off thousands—or more—globally amid rapid AI shifts Fast Company27:49 Predoc raises $30M to scale AI health information management platform Silicon Angle29:34 NewDays Secures $7M To Expand Treatment for Cognitive Impairment, Dementia MedCity32:01 Welcome Tech raises $7.5M to expand AI immigrant services Mobi Health32:39 VCs Had No Time Off This Summer. Blame AI. WSJ36:59 We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health NYT-Op37:58 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: We’re Restoring Public Trust in the CDC WSJ-OpEnough is Enough Letter: website43:47 House Republicans propose 6% budget cut to HHS for 2026 fiscal year Fierce Healthcare45:35 Google Dodges Worst Penalties in U.S. Antitrust Case WSJ48:30 Cigna’s Evernorth invests $3.5B in ex-Walgreens specialty pharmacy Healthcare Dive50:23 SCAN Health Plan to expand MA footprint into Washington for 2026 Fierce Healthcare51:26 UPMC is flipping 2024's operating losses halfway through the new year Fierce Healthcare52:14 HonorHealth to pick up Evernorth primary care clinics in Phoenix Fierce Healthcare 53:41 More Older Americans Are Aging Alone. Who Will Take Care of Them? WSJ56:47 Trump Brothers-Backed Bitcoin Mining Company Surges After Nasdaq Listing WSJ58:27 Polymarket cleared for US users X59:39 Comet: A New Medical Intelligence for Clinical and Operational Insights Epic Website1:02:58 Banner and AntHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK

Vic is joined by guest host Mitch Mudra, founder of Ladder Health, to discuss the Minneapolis mass shooting, his background at UnitedHealth, and building Ladder to address developmental delays in children. They cover Walmart’s gains during inflation, job market risks, Nashville’s tunnel project, and major healthcare VC deals including LS AI and CAR T therapy. Other topics include AI in back-office operations, sleep and vision tech startups, CMS pre-authorization, CDC leadership turmoil, 340B rebate changes, UnitedHealth’s DOJ probe, Johns Hopkins’ contract fight, no-surprise billing costs, children’s hospital layoffs, Quest’s lab joint venture, and Walgreens’ breakup. They also review pharma updates from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, Web3 payment innovations, Nvidia’s growth slowdown, Apple’s potential deal with Google Gemini, perplexity’s publisher model, and the dangers of AI misuse highlighted by a teen suicide linked to ChatGPT.Guest Host Mitch Mudra - LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/4p7wxnJLinks00:45 How the Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting Unfolded WSJ17:15Walmart Wins Over More Shoppers as Tariffs Push Prices Higher WSJ18:12 Stagnant Job Market Is a Rising Risk for the U.S. Economy WSJ19:15 Dow Loses About 350 Points After Record-Breaking Run WSJ20:05 Boring Co. faces $1.7M annual fee for airport tunnel access in Nashville's ambitious transit plan Nash Business Journal20:33 EliseAI banks $250M to fire up healthcare automation business Fierce Healthcare22:37 Wugen woos VCs, landing $115M to bring fratricide-resistant CAR-T cell therapy to market 25:10 Assort Health nabs $50M to automate patient phone calls TechCrunch25:38 Sleep.ai raises $5.5M to aid in rest with data-backed sleeping insights Silicon Angle27:34 Eyebot gets $20M Series A to expand eye care access TechCrunch29:04 Medicare Will Require Prior Approval for Certain Procedures NYT31:08 CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted one month after confirmation Fierce Healthcare31:53 White House Says New C.D.C. Director Is Fired, but She Refuses to Leave NYT35:06 ‘Solution in search of a problem:’ AHA slams 340B rebates pilot Modern Healthcare37:04 UnitedHealth Ongoing Criminal Probe Is Broader Than Medicare Bloomberg40:35 Johns Hopkins hospitals, clinicians leave UnitedHealthcare's network amid contract dispute Fierce Healthcare41:52 No Surprises dispute resolution is creating billions of dollars in extra costs, could raise premiums: analysis Healthcare Dive43:25 Hundreds of L.A. children’s hospital employees just had positions eliminated44:54 Corewell Health, Quest Diagnostics unveil lab testing joint venture Fierce Healthcare45:37 Walgreens going Private Process????46:38 Novo Nordisk Freezes Hiring in NonHF SiteYOUTUBEINSTAGRAMTWITTERFACEBOOKLINKEDINTIKTOK